Sentence Construction IEP goals for high school (grades 9 to 12)
24 of the sentence construction templates in the library are written for high school (grades 9 to 12). Each opens in the builder, where the grade band is a starting point and the baseline comes from your own assessment.
24 templates · 1 skill · 9–12 · How we write and review goals
Goals by skill
Numbers are illustrative; set targets from the student's own baseline.
Sentence Construction Writing
Combine short sentences into compound and complex sentences
Sentence combining
By the annual IEP review date, given 10 pairs of short related sentences, the student will combine each pair into one grammatically complete compound or complex sentence that keeps the meaning of both sentences independently with at least 80% accuracy on sentence-combining items, in 3 of 4 consecutive weekly probes, as measured by work-sample analysis collected weekly.
Use compound and complex sentences in paragraph writing
Using compound and complex sentences in own writing
By the annual IEP review date, when writing a paragraph-length response during language arts or content-area classes, the student will include at least two correctly punctuated compound or complex sentences in the response independently in at least 4 of 5 opportunities, across 3 consecutive weeks of writing samples, as measured by opportunity-by-opportunity data collected weekly.
Write complete sentences without run-ons or fragments in own writing
Avoiding run-ons and fragments in extended writing
By the annual IEP review date, in independent writing samples of at least eight sentences, the student will independently write complete sentences without run-ons or fragments with at least 90% accuracy on sentences written, across 3 consecutive biweekly writing samples, as measured by work-sample analysis collected every two weeks.
Expand sentences with adjectives and adverbs
Adding adjectives and adverbs
By the annual IEP review date, given 10 short sentences with a noun and a verb but no describing words, the student will rewrite each sentence adding at least one adjective and one adverb that fit the meaning independently with at least 80% accuracy on sentences, in 3 of 4 consecutive weekly probes, as measured by work-sample analysis collected weekly.
Answer assignment questions in complete sentences
Answering questions in complete sentences
By the annual IEP review date, given a classwork or homework assignment with at least five short-answer questions, the student will write each answer as a complete sentence that restates part of the question and gives the answer independently with at least 90% accuracy on short-answer questions, across 3 consecutive weekly assignments, as measured by work-sample analysis collected weekly.
Find and fix sentences with construction errors
Recognizing and fixing faulty sentences
By the annual IEP review date, given a paragraph of 10 sentences in which five contain a construction error (missing word, wrong word order, unclear pronoun, or run-on), the student will identify each faulty sentence and rewrite it so that it is clear and complete independently with at least 80% accuracy on faulty sentences, in 3 of 4 consecutive weekly probes, as measured by work-sample analysis collected weekly.
High school sentence construction goals point toward life after school: independence, self-advocacy, and skills used in courses, jobs, and the community. Conditions name realistic materials and settings, and many goals are written so the student collects part of the data.
Matching data sheets
Each goal above links to the blank sheet built for its measure. These are the sheets this set of goals uses:
- Accuracy trackerNumber correct out of number attempted, with percent accuracy and support level.Used by 19 goals here
- Opportunity trackerRecords each opportunity as independent, prompted, or not demonstrated.Used by 4 goals here
- Rubric trackerScores each rubric criterion and totals the score for each sample.Used by 1 goal here
Frequently asked questions
How do sentence construction goals connect to transition planning in high school?
Annual goals should support the student's measurable postsecondary goals for education, employment, and independent living (34 CFR 300.320(b)). A skill goal can be written in the context of a course, a job site, or a daily living routine.
Can a high school student help write their own goals?
Yes, and the student must be invited to IEP meetings where transition is discussed. Student-chosen goals with self-monitoring tend to be measured more consistently.
How are high school goals measured when the student has many teachers?
With work samples, percent of assignments completed, rubrics, or self-monitoring checklists reviewed weekly by the case manager. The goal should say who records the data and where.
IEP Atlas Pro
Turn these goals into progress reports
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Count trials, prompts, and minutes live in the session; the graph and trend line draw themselves; progress reports are drafted from your data.